| June, 2008 |  |
< Prev Page 4 Next > |
BWI monitors display weather and flights in real time
"Baltimore/Washington has installed new flight-tracker and weather-display monitors throughout its main terminal. The monitors, located alongside other flight-information displays, provide a real-time, visual image of air traffic and weather conditions. Flights are represented on the map by plane icons with their flight number. Arriving flights are shown in red, and departures are in blue."
Flier cited for disorderly conduct for talking on cellphone
An airline passenger was cited for disorderly conduct by Dallas police after he refused "multiple requests" to turn off his cellphone during an airline flight, The Dallas Morning News (free registration) reports. The incident happened on a Southwest flight from Austin to Dallas Love Field. "After multiple requests, the flight attendants were not successful in getting the passenger to get off the phone," Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King tells the Morning News. She points out that the airline could have faced a $25,000 fine from federal authorities if it allowed a cellphone to be used during flight. "Our flight attendants asked for local authorities to meet the aircraft" when it landed in Dallas, King adds to the Morning News. "At that point, we stepped out of the way and left the matter to the local authorities."
New NASA Tool Allows Amateurs to Explore the Ionosphere from the Inside
Last week at the Space Weather Workshop in Boulder, Colorado, NASA released a 4D live model of the Earth's ionosphere. Without leaving home, anyone can fly through the layer of ionized gas that encircles Earth at the edge of space itself. All that is required is an Internet connection and a free copy of Google Earth. NASA calls the ionosphere the "last wisp of Earth's atmosphere that astronauts leave behind when they enter space. The realm of the ionosphere stretches from 50 to 500 miles above Earth's surface where the atmosphere thins to near-vacuum and exposes itself to the fury of the sun. Solar ultraviolet radiation breaks apart molecules and atoms creating a globe-straddling haze of electrons and ions."
ARISS Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO announces a new Ionosphere modeling tool
Frank Bauer, KA3HDO tells us that NASA has just released a new 4D ionosphere tool that can benefit
the ham radio community.
The tool is based on Google Earth.
To explore the ionosphere and for more information on this outstanding modeling system, please go
to the following web sites:
The vodcast on the 4D ionosphere www.nasa.gov.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/4dions_feature.html
A downloadable version that includes a sound bite on how ham radio operators will benefit from this model:
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010200/a010208/
Cuba puts first computers on sale to the public
Cubans look at computers through a store window in Havana, Friday, May 2, 2008. Computers went on sale Friday to the general public in communist Cuba, with several dozen people lining up outside a major store to buy or just gawk at them as the latest small change under the new administration of President Raul Castro took effect.
A tower-style QTECH PC and monitor costs nearly US$780 (euro505). While few Cubans can afford that, dozens still gawked outside a tiny Havana electronics store, crowding every inch of its large glass windows and leaving finger and nose prints behind.
Inside, four clerks tore open boxes, hastily assembling display computers.
Sea-Tac Airport offers flight information through cellphones
Want to know if your Sea-Tac Airport flight is on time?
Now you can find out on your cellphone.
The Port of Seattle has a new service where passengers can receive flight information by sending a text message to FLYSEA, or 359732. Passengers text the name of the airline and the flight number and, within seconds, they will receive a message back with real-time departure or arrival information, gate number and flight status.
Cellphone updates are a one-time, passenger-activated service. In order to receive another update you must text the address again. Your cellphone carrier's standard rates apply.
Get more information on flight notifications at http://hosting.portseattle.org/fids
Man gets prison for sending spam e-mails
A Colorado man accused of sending hundreds of thousands of spam e-mails has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion and falsifying e-mail headers.
Thirty-five-year-old Edward "Eddie" Davidson of Louisville was also ordered to pay nearly $715,000 to the Internal Revenue Service. He was sentenced Monday and ordered to report to prison authorities in May.
Federal prosecutors say Davidson's operation used false e-mail headers to disguise the sender. Prosecutors say some of the spam was meant to dupe stock investors and manipulate markets.
Authorities say Davidson made at least $3.5 million sending e-mails for nearly 20 companies.
| June, 2008 | |
< Prev Page 4 Next > |